post fire thoughts

The Deputy Superintendent of Yosemite, Kevin Cann, came to speak at the Senior Manager’s Meeting this morning about the Telegraph Fire. I’d been following the fire pretty closely, so I didn’t learn too much about the details of the fire, but there were a couple of things that I found interesting – in no particular order.

Initially, the fire was moving and spreading at a rate that reminded people of the infamous Harlow Fire in the 1961 – one of the fastest moving fires ever recorded. Fortunately, there were many fire crews in the area from the recent spate of CA fires, and those fires were mostly contained when we started, so when the call went out for resources, there were many available.

Now, when they estimate the total cost of the fire, they include the cost to replant and rehabilitate the giant bulldozer lines along with the cost of the hot shot crews and the helicopters. It’s not just about fighting the fire now, there are plans in place to manage the environment afterward as well.